Reflections of emergency care past and present in the Tuscan region of Italy.

摘要

The rolling hills of Tuscany with its numerous hilltop towns and delightful people are every bit as picturesque as the views from photographs (Figure 1). The charming and yet simple lifestyle of the region is quite a contrast to the fast-paced lifestyles to which many residents in the United States have grown accustomed. My lifelong dream to visit the Tuscan region of Italy with my husband and children became a reality in July 2010. Correspondence with a colleague in Nashville, Tennessee, at Hospital Corporation of American afforded me a tremendous opportunity to visit the Rome American Hospital while traveling this magnificent countryside. Nearly every clinic and emergency department we passed provided additional opportunities for a quick observational experience of an area of nursing that encompassed many years of my early career. This unforgettable and in many cases enviable lifestyle provided the perfect backdrop for a study in both historical and current nursing practices.